A tragic legacy

Brutal acts of violence and murders, such as the senseless "killing fields of Aceh", "bloody Semanggi", and "the Ketapang free fight" are merely a reflection of the way this nation was brought to its 53rd birthday, under authoritarian rule for more than 50 percent of its lifetime. All of these incidents have tragic consequences, not only for those killed or injured, but also for their families and communities and, indeed, for the national psyche. It is fair to say that we have all been victimized by these brutal incidents.

This is especially true when one sees this shocking picture on the front page of a leading newspaper: a blood-soaked human body is dragged by the feet while other people elatedly beat the body, not knowing or caring whether the man is still alive or already dead. Are we living in a nation where even our own neighborhoods have been turned into places of mass murder; a nation where homicide in our business community has been added to the ever- growing list of hazards we face each day; a nation where our forefathers proudly built a gigantic mosque next to a legendary church, only to be torn apart as the result of ethnic, racial, religious and societal issues; a nation where anyone who opts for high civilian or military positions cannot escape the obligatory pre-service training of civics. I faintly recall the hard times when the rebellious Sukarno voiced his concerns before foreign colonial rulers, now it is even harder because we have to face the oppression of our own fellow countrymen.

If we are to state who is to blame, then allow me to rephrase statements of Charles Patrick Ewing, a forensic psychologist, attorney, and professor of law of Buffalo University: "The causes of violence (in our society) are obvious to anyone who cares to look for them", i.e., abuse (by the government), poverty (caused by corporations), exposure to violence (by the military), and failure to transmit values (by religious leaders). Would it be too difficult to discover who is responsible for all this?

DR. HAFIL B. ABDULGANI

Bandung, West Java